Bloomfield Avenue, stretching from the Garden State Parkway in Bloomfield into Verona, will be analyzed and surveyed in an effort to make it more accessible for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Montclair, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge and Verona have combined on a joint venture to explore the needs of the four-mile stretch of Bloomfield Avenue spanning from the Garden State Parkway in Bloomfield into Verona, according to Township Engineer Kim Craft. The municipalities were awarded a $100,000 grant by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through Together North Jersey, as a result of a Montclair Engineering application.

Five intersections will be focused on and analyzed, according to Nancy Snyder, director of media relations for NJ Transit.

Two are in Montclair: Bloomfield Avenue and Valley Road, and the Six Corners intersection of Bloomfield, North Fullerton, South Fullerton and Glen Ridge avenues and Church Street. The three others are Bloomfield Avenue and Park Street in Bloomfield, Bloomfield and Ridgewood avenues in Glen Ridge, and Bloomfield and Lakeside avenues and Park Place in Verona.

Another component to the study, according to Craft, is public outreach. Craft said that her department has already posted links to a community survey on its Facebook and Twitter pages, called MontclairSAFE. Montclair Center BID, according to Executive Director Luther Flurry, has posted a link to the survey on its Facebook page.

Craft told The Times that the need for slowing traffic and making Bloomfield Avenue more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly has come up in study after study over the years, leading her to apply for the grant. Bloomfield, Glen Ridge and Verona were included, according to Craft, to make the application stronger.

Potential outcomes of the traffic data and public outreach, according to Craft, may be to reduce the number of lanes on Bloomfield Avenue and widen sidewalks - both to encourage vehicles to slow down.

Glen Ridge Township Manager Michael Rohal said that the borough shares Montclair's concerns over the speeds vehicles travel on Bloomfield Avenue and that grant-funded consultants are conducting pedestrian, bicycle and vehicle turn counts for the intersection of Bloomfield and Ridgewood avenues.

Glen Ridge police, Rohal said, are supplementing the consultant's work with their own traffic volume and speed survey.

More than the analytical work conducted by the consultants, Craft said, the most valuable outcome of the project will be the survey data.

"We have identified issues and concerns people have," Craft said of Bloomfield Avenue. "It's one thing to hear stories and complaints, [but] when you go about it in a deliberate way, you get more useful information."

completing streets

In addition to the four municipalities, entities as diverse as the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition to Montclair State University to NJ Transit and others have their hands in the project, according to NJ Transit Assistant Director of Transit Friendly Planning, Land Use and Development Vivian Baker, speaking on behalf of North Jersey Together.

According to Baker, the goal of casting such a wide net in which to gather input is to foster a collaborative project, one that examines Bloomfield Avenue's impact on the economy, housing, mobility and health. Baker described Bloomfield Avenue not only as a main traffic artery through Essex County, but an area of great economic, school and pedestrian activity.

As complete streets is a concept that is becoming an increasing priority both county- and statewide, Baker said that whatever recommendations come out of the Bloomfield Avenue Complete Corridor Plan may also serve as a template to be replicated on other roads across the region.

Baker estimated that analysis will be completed by June 30, with a report written during the month of July, after which the municipalities will turn to Essex County, the N.J. Department of Transportation, and the federal government for implementation.

Essex County Engineer Sanjeev Varghese did not respond to numerous calls prior to press time. Craft said that as Essex County is among the many partners on the project and has passed its own complete streets policy, she anticipates the county's support.

Flurry said that he will be interested in the extent of the county's support. Describing Bloomfield Avenue as a "wide, loud and scary" barrier to downtown business, Flurry said that shoppers and diners are afraid to cross the road, and traffic volume is such that walking and talking on Bloomfield Avenue is not enjoyable.

The business district executive director said that a more pedestrian-friendly Bloomfield Avenue would be necessary for Montclair Center to succeed.

"Essex County has passed complete streets legislation," Flurry said. "Bloomfield Avenue will be a test as to whether pedestrian and business activity is truly valued. We hope they put their money where their mouth is."